"Next..."
Although Yuzuru's series of moves had shocked the entire crowd, Ootani Yuuto quickly recovered from his surprise. After all, a third of the students still had yet to complete their ninja tool throwing.
The students Ootani Yuuto called out next stepped forward one by one to throw their ninja tools. With Hanakei Kaede, Uchiha Akihime, and Hyuga Yuzuru having put on such impressive displays earlier, the throwing techniques and accuracy of the remaining students seemed utterly ordinary by comparison...
Before long, every first-year student had completed the ninja tool throwing test. Their scores were recorded by the grading instructors and stored in their files.
"Next will be the first two-person sparring match. I'll divide you into relatively fair matchups based on your usual performance..."
Facing the forty-five students, Ootani Yuuto continued, "Each of your opponents will be roughly equal to you in strength. It will be nearly impossible for a strong student to bully a weak one. That is the true purpose of these two-person battles: not winning through your own advantages, but defeating your opponent through combat awareness, taijutsu, chakra application, and other factors..."
Tch! Before an Uchiha, aside from that man, who could possibly fight me fairly?
As she listened to Ootani Yuuto's explanation, Akeshi thought disdainfully. Fair? How could there possibly be a fair fight?
"Alright, let's begin dividing the groups..."
Ootani Yuuto spoke as he read out the students' names from the prepared match list.
"First match: Kitamura Yuusuke versus Niigaki Keita!"
Upon hearing Ootani Yuuto call their names, Kitamura Yuusuke and Niigaki Keita stepped out from the line and followed another grading instructor to an open section of the training field.
"Form the Seal of Confrontation!"
The grading instructor addressed Kitamura Yuusuke and Niigaki Keita. Hearing this, the two formed the Seal of Confrontation toward each other. The instant the instructor said, "Begin," they charged at one another like two young bulls locking horns...
Chakra extraction was one of the main subjects taught that semester, while applying chakra to different parts of the body was considered an advanced extension. Some of that knowledge had been introduced, but not taught in full. Kitamura Yuusuke had been physically frail since birth, so the amount of chakra he could extract was limited. While that prevented him from using chakra freely, it also gave him a level of fine chakra control his peers could never achieve. To use his chakra at maximum efficiency, he had to apply every last drop to the blade's edge!
Thus, at that moment, chakra could be seen coating Kitamura Yuusuke's hands and the soles of his feet. With the enhancement provided by the chakra in his palms and feet, he launched a fierce taijutsu assault against Niigaki Keita.
Niigaki Keita was far stronger physically than Kitamura Yuusuke, but he could not control chakra with the same ease. He could only use his body to withstand Kitamura Yuusuke's fists and kicks.
After exchanging blows for some time, the two retreated once more and stared at each other from afar. Sweat covered their faces and bodies, and their chests heaved like bellows. It was clear that both had gone all out without underestimating the other. Without having learned any ninjutsu, taijutsu was their only path to victory, and physical ability and chakra support were both crucial. Kitamura Yuusuke and Niigaki Keita each had their own shortcomings, so their strength was naturally evenly matched. For a time, neither could determine a winner, and they remained locked in a grueling stalemate. Still, both were desperate to bring out every ounce of strength they had to defeat the other...
In the end, the physically weaker Kitamura Yuusuke narrowly lost to Niigaki Keita.
"...Form the Seal of Reconciliation!"
The grading instructor stepped between them and spoke.
The two panted heavily. Neither accepted the result, yet they still formed the Seal of Reconciliation toward each other before being taken to the infirmary by the medical instructor to treat the bruises on their bodies...
"...The next pair is..."
With Kitamura Yuusuke and Niigaki Keita's battle over, Ootani Yuuto continued reading out the next pair of combatants...
"This is so boring I'm about to fall asleep."
Akeshi yawned and spoke irritably. Whether it was Kitamura Yuusuke or Niigaki Keita, their fight looked like children squabbling in her eyes. She had no desire to watch it at all.
"Teacher Ootani, just move my match forward. I'm about to fall asleep waiting here. Watching weaklings fight is far too boring."
Akeshi walked up to Ootani Yuuto and spoke impatiently. In the entire grade, only Yuzuru was worth fighting. How many moves could the rest of her classmates possibly withstand?
"Teacher Ootani, why not arrange a dozen or so opponents for me at once? Maybe then I'll actually feel like fighting!"
Akeshi paid no attention to the dark look on Ootani Yuuto's face. She continued, "Or Teacher Ootani, you can fight me personally if you'd like!"
Ootani Yuuto furrowed his brows deeply. Just as he was about to say something to Akeshi, ripples like swirling vortices suddenly appeared before his eyes, and the surroundings immediately began to blur...
"Genjutsu?"
Though Ootani Yuuto was not a Chunin who specialized in combat, he had been a seasoned instructor for many years. Although the sudden genjutsu surprised him, he remained extremely calm. In the next instant, he decisively disrupted the chakra within his body and broke the genjutsu.
"Teacher Ootani truly is a Chunin. You broke my genjutsu so quickly. But what if the genjutsu is cast through these eyes?"
The moment clarity returned to Ootani Yuuto's gaze, Akeshi's teasing voice sounded beside his ear. At the same time, a pair of scarlet eyes appeared directly before him. Two conspicuous tomoe slowly spun within them, giving off an eerie and sinister feeling!
"Akeshi, you awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan!"
Ootani Yuuto cried out in shock. He never could have imagined that at such a young age, Akeshi had not only awakened the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai, but had even skipped past the initial one-tomoe form and reached the intermediate two-tomoe form. The number of tomoe represented the strength of an Uchiha to a certain extent. The One-Tomoe Sharingan corresponded to Genin, the Two-Tomoe Sharingan to Chunin, and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan to Jonin!
And Akeshi was only six years old this year!
"Teacher Ootani, what do you think of my suggestion just now?"
Akeshi ignored Ootani Yuuto's shock and spoke with complete seriousness. She did not have that much time to waste here watching weaklings fight.
"...Fine."
Ootani Yuuto took a long look at the Two-Tomoe Sharingan in Akeshi's eyes before finally agreeing to her request. He called back the two students already on the field and sent Akeshi's pair out instead.
"Hyuga Yuzuru versus Uchiha Akihime!"
Before you continue